Tabulating machine



Dec. 8, 1936. F. M CARROLL 2,063,487

TABULATING MACHINE Original Filed March 30, 1933 3 SheetS--Shee l IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNE Y 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed March 30, 1933 ATTORNEY DEC. 8, 1936. F, M CARROLL 2,063,487

TABULATING MACHINE Original Filed March 30, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 M IN EEN TOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. I, 193

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TABULATING MACHINE Fred M. Carroll, Binghamton, N. Y., International Business Machines New York, N. Y., a corporation o! assignor to Corporation, New York 7 Claims.

use in feeding cards from a stack to a continuous-v ly rotating drum having a plurality of card positions thereon. The card drum carries the cards successively past a plurality of sensing stations, where the cards are sensed through the usual perforate index points to control the operation of the machine, to enter and print numerical values and to print alphabetical characters. The machine of the above mentioned copending application is arranged to enter amounts at one card cycle, whereas three card cycles are necessary to analyze, zone and print alphabetical characters. It is necessary, therefore, to control the card feeding means to feed a card to each card position on the drum when analyzing numerical data only, and to feed a card to each third card position on the drum when analyzing 25 both numerical and alphabetical data.

One object of this invention is to provide novel card feeding mechanisms capable of being controlled to feed cards according to the cyclic operation of a tabulating machine.

Another object is to provide a novel card feed mechanism having dual operating means.

Still another object is to provide a novel card picker having a plurality of picker knives adapted to operate on the card at different times.

Another object is to provide a novel card stripping and stacking mechanism.

The invention may be clearly understood from the following detailed description which should be read in connection with the drawings which accompany and form a part of the specition.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in left elevation of the card feeding and sensing mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the device for stripping the cards from the drum.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 Fig. showing the card feeding, sensing, stripping and stacking mechanisms.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the card picker showing the picker by dot and dash lines in its actuated position, and by full lines in its normal position.

Fig. 5 is a detail front view showing the drum shaft and the clutch mechanism for controlling the card feed operating mechanisms.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of the cam plates for operating the card grippers.

Described in general terms, the invention includes a card picker provided to pick cards one by one from the bottom of a stack and move said cards into cooperative relation with gripping devices located adjacent card positions on a rotatable card carrying drum, as said drum is rotated to bring the card positions successively past a card chute leading from the bottom of a card hopper.

During the course of travel of thecards after they are gripped on the drum, they are carried successively past a plurality of sensing stations. At these stations the d ata are analyzed to control the operations ol the machine, to enter the amounts onto the accumulators and to print the amounts and alphabetical characters on suitable record material.

After the cards have been carried past the last sensing station the grippers release the cards which are then fed to a stacker by novel mechanism provided for that purpose. The card analyzing mechanism, the card picker, the card feed and the stacker mechanisms are all mounted between a pair of fra-mes I0 and II (Figs. 1, 3,

and 5) suitably supported in the machine proper (not shown herein). The machine is adapted to be driven from a main drive shaft I2 which in time may be driven by any suitable device preferably by an electric motor of suitable de- Sign..

The card drum The card feed drum for carrying the cards successively past the several sensing stations includes a pair of end members I3 and I4 (Figs. 3 and 5) in the form of wheels which members are secured to flanges I5 and I6 on a hub or axle I 'I rotatably supported on a shaft I8 which in turn is rotatably mounted in the frames I0 and II. A series of arcuate card plates I9 are spaced around the peripheries of, and secured to the wheels I3 and I 4, there being six plates I9 provided in the instant case. Associated with the leading edge of each of the plates I9 is a pair of card grippers 2D (see Figs. 3, 5, and 6) mounted on shafts 2| pivotally supported in the plates I9 and held in place by retaining clips (not shown) secured to the inner surface of the plates I9 (Fig. 3).

The grippers 20 are normally urged in a clockwise direction, to grip the cards, by springs 23 surrounding spring pilots 24 pivotally supported by projections 25 on the inner sides of their respective plates I9. The springs 23 are compressed between retainers 26 and arms 21 secured to the grippers 20, through holes in which arms 21 the free ends of the spring pilots 24 project.

Each of the grippers 20 is opened twice at each complete rotation of the card feed drum, first to receive the card and second to release the card after having carried said card successively past the several sensing stations. The opening of the grippers is effected against the tension of the spring 23 by cam plates 28 and 29 secured to the inner side of the frame III (Fig. 6). As the card drum rotates an arm 36 secured to the shaft 2l wipes by the cam plate 28 rocking the arm 30, shaft 2| and gripper 28 secured on that particular shaft 2l, counterclockwise thus opening the gripper to receive the card advanced thereinto by the picker (to be described later). Continued rotation of the drum carries the arm 38 away from the cam plate 28 whereupon the spring 23 acts to rock the grippers clockwise to securely grip the card. After the card is carried past all of the sensing brushes or stations the gripper arm 30 engages the cam plate 29 thus again opening the grippers as above set forth, this time, however, for the purpose of releasing the card, which is then fed into a receptacle by means to be later described.

The card drum is operated from the main drive shaft I2 by a gear 36 (Figs. 3 and 5) secured to said shaft. The gear 36 meshes with an intermediate gear 31 which in turn meshes with a large gear 38 secured to the flange I6 of the drum. 'Ihe rotation of the drive shaft I2 and the arrangement of the gears 36, 31, and 38 are such that the card drum makes one complete rotation while a printing drum not shown herein makes six cycles or rotations. Stated otherwise the card drum carries a card past a given set of brushes in synchronism with and while the printing drum is making one rotation. The rotation of the card drum does not vary, and when the machine is set for straight numerical operations a card is fed by the card picker to every card position on the drum, however, when the machine is set to analyze alphabetical cards the timing of the picker is changed (as is fully brought out later) to feed a card to every third card position on the card drum. The reason for the above will be pointed out later.

The card picker The cards to be analyzed are placed in a hopper indicated generally at 39 (Figs. 1 and 3) from Where they are fed, from the bottom of the stack, through a card chute 40 to the passing card gripper 20 which is opened just before it arrives opposite the guide 40 and closed shortly after it passes said guide to grip the leading edge of the card. The mechanismfor feeding the cards out of the hopper 39 includes a picker knife 4I and a feed knit' 42 (Figs. 3 and 4) secured on the right hand end and left hand end (as viewed from Fig. 4) respectively on a slide 43. The slide is mounted in grooves 44 in a frame 45 suitably supported in the side frames I and II.

'I'he slide is adapted to be reciprocated first toward the left (Fig. 4) and then back by a pair of arms 46 (only one of which is shown herein) secured on a shaft 41 supported between the frames III and II.` The free end of the arms 46 are bifurcated and embrace studs 48 pivotally mounted in the slide 43. Springs 49 (Fig. 3) resiliently hold the slide 43 and the arms 46 in their retracted positions in which they appear in Figs. 3 and 4. The shaft 41 may be operated from two sources, both of which are driven from the main drive shaft I2. On those operations wherein alphabetical data are being analyzed the picker shaft 41 is operated by a cam 5| (Figs. 1 and secured to a hub 52 which in turn is secured on the shaft I3. A gear 53 secured to the cam 5I and to the hub 52 meshes with an intermediate gear 54 on a shaft 55, and the gear 54 meshes with a gear 56 freely mounted on the drive shaft I2.

On operations which analyze numerical data the picker mechanism is operated by a cam 51 (Figs. 1 and 5) on the shaft I2. The cam 5I cooperates With a roller carried by one arm of a lever 58 pivoted on a stud mounted between the frame I8 and a plate 59. A link 60 connects the other arm of the lever 58 to an arm 66 secured to the shaft 41. Likewise the cam 51 cooperates with a roller carried on one arm of a lever 61 pivoted on a stud projecting from the plate 59. A link 68 connects the other arm of the lever 61 to an arm 69 secured on the shaft 41. Obviously, rotation of the cam 5I will rock the lever 58 ilrst clockwise and due to the link 60 rock the arm 66, shaft 41 and arms 46 (Fig. 1) counterclockwise to advance the picker slide 43 against the tension of the springs 49, which, after the cam 5I has passed the roller of lever 58 restores the picker slide 43 and its operating mechanism to normal positions.

Likewise the cam 51 rocks the lever 61 counterclockwise and due to the coupling 68 rocks the arm 69, shaft 41 and arms 46 counterclockwise to actuate the picker slide. The cam 51 and the gear 56 are freely mounted on the shaft I2 but either one may be operatively coupled to said shaft by manually sliding a clutch member 16 (Fig. 5) either toward the right or left into engagement with the desired member. The clutch member may be operated by a hand lever 1I (Fig. 1) secured to the end of a shaft 12 mounted in brackets 13 and 14 secured to the frame I6. An arm (Fig. 5) secured to the opposite end of the shaft 12 carries a roller 16 projecting into an annular groove in the periphery of the clutch member 10. Rotation of the shaft 12 in a clockwise direction (Fig. 5) will engage the clutch with the hub of the cam 51 and counterclockwise rotation of the shaft will engage said clutch with the hub of the gear 56. In actual practice the clutch has no neutral position being actually engaged with either the cam 51 or the gear 56.

The clutch 10 may be operated automatically from the machine by means of a link 11 (Figs. 1 and 5). This link is connected to a lever 18 pivoted on a stud projecting from the bracket 14 (Fig. 5) which lever 16 at its upper end is operatively connected to the arm 15. 'I'he means for operating the link 11 to control the clutch 10 has no bearing on the instant invention for which reason description thereof is omitted from this specification.

Itwas stated above that when the machine is operated to analyze numerical data only, the card drum I4 (Fig. 3) makes one rotation to six printing drum cycles, that is, a printing cycle occurs as each of the card plates I9 passes a given set of brushes.

For this reason the slide 43 is operated to feed a card out of the hopper 39 as each gripper 20 passes the guides 40. A description will now be given of the operation of the card picker on such operations.

The main drive shaft I2. and consequently the cam 51 (Figs. 1 and 5) when clutched thereto makes one complete counterclockwise rotation for each printing cycle, which rotation of the cam 51 corresponds to the passage of each card position of the card drum past the card guides 40. At each rotation the cam 51 operates the card picker knife and card feed knife in the following described manner: When a stack of cards is placed in the hopper 33, it may be noted by an examination of Figures 3 and 4 that the feed knife 42 in its extreme right hand position rests a short distance to the left of the right hand edge of the bottom card, consequently the ilrst stroke of the feed knife 42 is idle. However, as the picker knife 4I nears the end of its leftward travel, it picks up the bottom card and advances it a shortdistance to the position indicated at 4| b (Fig. 4) which is slightly in advance of the fully retracted position of the feed knife 42. At this point the leading edge of the card has entered the card throat 50 which is just wide enough to accommodate a singie card.

The slide 43 is then restored toward the right to its fully retracted position and, as the knife 42 nears this position, it passes the right hand edge of the bottom card which immediately drops into position in front of the feed knife. When the slide 43 again is shifted toward the left, the knife 42. now havingr a rm grip on the card, thrusts said card through the throat 50 and guides 40 where it is seized by the passing gripper 20' and drawn out of the guides 40 by the rotating card drum.

When the cam 51 has advanced the knives 4| and 42 to the positions indicated at 4|a and 42a, respectively, a dwell on the cam 51 causes the slide 43 to stop momentarily. At this point the knife 4| is about to start the next card and since the preceding card still is in the throat 50 damage would result if insertion of another card into the throa't were attempted at this point. When the knife 42 is momentarily at the position indicated at 42a the leading edge of the card is firmly gripped by the gripper 20 as at 20h (Fig. 4) and during the brief dwell of the knives 4| and 42 the continuously rotating card drum draws the card out of the throat 50 and guides 40. The cam 51 (Fig. 1) now advances the slide 43 and the knives 4| and 42 to the positions indicated at 4|b and 42h, the movement of the knife 42 from 42a to 42h being idle whereas the knife 4| picks up the next card from the bottom of the stack and advances this card to position 4|b. The cam 51 now restores the slide at one continuous movement to its fully retracted position.

When the machine is operated to analyze alphabetical data or a combination of alphabetical and numerical data the picker arms 46 and the slide 43 are operated by the cam 5| (Fig. 1). Prior to such operations, the clutch 1U (Fig. 5) is shifted out of engagement with the cam 51 and into engagement with the gear 56 which, as set forth above. drives the cam 5| through gears 54 and 53. The ratio of the gears 56 and 53 is such that the gear 55 makes three rotations while the gear 53 and consequently the cam 5| makes one rotation. The shaft |2 makes six rotations while the card drum makes one rotation. It is obvious, therefore, that the gear 53 and the cam 5| make two rotations while the card drum makes one rotation. It follows that the card picker and card feed mechanism, when operated by the cam 5| will feed two cards at each rotation of the card drum.

This card feed din'ers from the numerical feed Just described in that the feed for alphabetical cards is divided into two strokes of the slide 43. The first stroke starts the card, after which the slide 43 is fully retracted. The second stroke of the slide feeds the card out of the hopper where it is seized by the passing gripper 20 whereupon the slide 43 again is fully restored.

This is necessary due to the timing of other elements of the machine and the necessity of bringing the picker and feed slide to rest at the end of a cycle in its fully retracted position, also it is desirable, when the picker mechanism is stopped at the end of a cycle, that there be no card in the started position which would be possible if a card were started by a slight additional movement of the picker slide 43 following a feeding movement as is the case when operating the picker slide by the cam 51.

These two separate movements are effected by the cam 5| (Fig. l) which is provided with two lobes 19 and v8|). The lobe 19 which extends radially a greater distance from the center than does the lobe 80, rst operates the lever 58 and through the linkage 60 rocks the shaft 41 counterclockwise to shift the slide 43 at one stroke to its extreme leftward position. This carries the picker knife 4| to its position 4|b starting the bottom card of the stack. As soon as the lobe 13 has passed the roller carried by the lever 58, the springs 49 (Fig. 3) rock the arms 46 clockwise to fully retract the slide 43.

At the proper time the lobe 80 (Fig. l) acting on the lever 58 rocks the arms 46 (Fig. 3) again counterclockwise to advance the slide 43 to the position indicated at 4|a4|a (Fig. 4) at which point the card is fully gripped by the gripper 20 and drawn out of the guides 40 by the rotating card drum.

The springs 49 again restore the slide 43 as soon as the lobe has passed beneath the roller on the lever 58. The cam 5|, making two rotations to one rotation of the card drum, again operates the picker mechanism to feed another card to the gripper 2|) diametrically opposite the one to previously receive a card.

The card stacker After a card has been carried past the several sensing stations it is released by the gripper 20 and stacked in a receptacle 8| (Fig. 3). As hereinbefore stated, the gripper 20 releases the card at the proper time under the inuence of the arm 30 (Fig. 6) striking the cam 23. Shortly after the leading edge of the card passes the last sensing station it encounters spring pressed rollers 82. These rollers are mounted on a shaft 83 rotatably carried by arms B4 (only one being shown) which arms are pivotally supported on brackets (see also Fig. 5).

The brackets 85 are secured to the inner sides of the frames i0 and respectively. Springs (not shown) urge the arms 84 counterclockwise (Fig. 3) to press the rollers 82 resiliently against the plates i9 to retain, and feed the card after it has been released by the gripper 20.

When the card has reached approximately the position in which it is illustrated by dot and dash lines in Fig. 2 the gripper 20 is operated to release it whereupon the resilience of the card causes it to assume its normal fiat shape.

Since the card is still held between the plate i9 and roller 82 the leading edge of the card springs downwardly where it rests on a plurality of rollers 88 secured on a shaft 81. The card is shown in this position in full lines in Figs. 2 and 3. As the card springs downwardly the leading edge thereof enters a longitudinal opning 88 in a roller 89 mounted on a shaft 90 suitably supported in the frames I and Continued rotation of the drum |4 thrusts the card further into the opening 88. The rollers 86 and 89 constantly rotate, the roller 86 clockwise and the roller 89 counterclockwise, the latter being so timed as to present the opening 88 to each card as said card is released by its gripper.

The rollers 86 and 89 are driven from a shaft 9| which in turn is driven from the main body of the machine (not shown). As gear 86 fast on the shaft 9| meshes with a gear 91 fast on the shaft 81, and the gear 91 meshes with a gear 88 fast to the roller 89.

As the roller 89 advances, the wall of the opening 88 comes into contact with the card and thrusts the leading edge thereof between the rollers 88 and 89. These rollers now feed the card past a guide bar 99 and between the feed roller 88 and spring pressed tension rollers |00 mounted on a rod |0| carried between a. pair of pivoted arms |02. The arms |02 are plvotally supported on studs projecting inwardly from the frames I0 and Springs |03 serve to press the rollers |00 constantly against the rollers 86. The feed rollers 88 now feed the card downwardly to the right (Fig. 3) of a pair of stacker arms |04 secured on a shaft |05 supported in the frames I0 and Also secured to the shaft |05 is an arm |08 carrying at its free end a roller |01 cooperating with a cam |08 secured on the shaft 9|. The shaft 9| and consequently the cam |08 make six rotations while the card drum makes one rotation and the cam |08 is timed to rock the arm |08, shaft |05 and stacker arms |04 clockwise (Fig. 3) to press each card onto the stack as it is fed downwardly by the rollers 86. As the card is pressed against the left hand end of the stack (Fig. 3) it wipes by spring-pressed retaining hooks |09 mounted on studs ||0 projecting inwardly from the frames l0 and As the card passes the hooks |09, springs restore said hooks to their effective positions wherein said hooks prevent retrograde movement of the card when the stacker arms |04 are retracted by the springs ||2.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as fidicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a machine of the class described, the lcombination of a constantly rotating card drum having a plurality of card positions thereon, a receptacle for cards, means to feed cards from the receptacle to the drum, and means to advance the feeding means an additional distance to start the succeeding card from the receptacle.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a constantly rotating card drum, a receptacle for cards, card feeding means, means to operate the feeding means to first feed a card and then to start the succeeding card at one operation of the feed means, and means to operate the feeding means to start a card at one complete operation of said feeding means and to feed the card out of .the receptacle at the next complete operation of the feeding means.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a constantly rotating card drum. a receptacle for cards, meansto feed the cards to the drum and means vto operate the card feeding means in two strokes first to start the card and then. to feed the card out of the receptacle.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a continuously rotating drum having a plurality of card receiving positions, means to feed cards to said card positions, a plurality of card gripping means on said drum, stationary means to open all of the gripping means at a predetermined point to receive the cards, otherstationary means to open all of the gripping means at a predetermined point to release the cards, and a longitudinally slotted roller adapted to rotate in timed relation with said drum to receive the cards as said cards are released and to change the direction of travel of said cards.

5. In an machine for handling statistical cards, the combination of a constantly rotating card drum, a. card receptacle, means for starting the cards, means for feeding the cards an additional distance, and means on the drum to grip the cards and to draw said cards the remaining distance out of the receptacle.

6. In a machine for handling statistical cards, the combination of a. continuously rotating card drum, a card receptacle, card feeding means, means to advance the card feeding means to start a card, and means to advance the feed means a lesser distance to feed a card to the drum.

7. In a machine for handling statistical cards, the combination of a constantly rotating card drum, a card receptacle, card feeding means, means to operate the feed means to feed a card to the drum, means on the drum to draw the card from the receptacle, means to stop the feed mns while the card is being drawn from the receptacle, and means to operate the feed means to start the next succeeding card.

FRED M. CARROLL. 

